El Patron - Mentor On The Lake Mexican

As I was cruising around on the motorcycle, following the Lake Erie shore East, I noticed a Mexican restaurant I hadn't seen before. Located at 5945 Andrews Rd, Mentor On The Lake (map is here) in a strip mall set back from the street was El Patron.  They seemed to have done what they could with the front, especially considering the location and the banner with $3.49 Lunch Specials certainly caught my eye, so I figured I would give it a try.   Once inside I was surprised to find that El Patron was nicely laid out with warm browns and tans, with real stone used to create the diving wall and some nice Mexican touches and less beer paraphernalia then most Mexican Restaurants.  The overall decor is relaxing with a nice touch of class.

Once seated I was quickly greeted by my server and got the expected chips and salsa.   The chips were nice, the salsa was good although a bit mild, with the occasional pepper or onion chunks to make things a bit more interesting.  A little of the green hot sauce zipped up the salsa to my liking.

Reviewing over the menu I was impressed with the variety (you can view the menu at the Chardon El Patron website here); I was especially happy to see that the $3.49 specials included a choice of Chili Relleno or Fish Tacos.  I picked the Chili Relleno with the rice and was rewarded with a nice sized plate with one good sized chili and a nice portion of rice.  The Chili was well prepared, the batter was good, the cheese melted without becoming a lava flow and the pepper flavorful, although once again a bit mild to my taste.  With Poblano Peppers it is always hard to guess how hot they will be, so I would not hold that against El Patron.  The sauce topping the Chili was very nice slightly sweet with a smokey, almost hickory flavor, reminiscent of a good BBQ sauce.   The rice was mild, but had a very nice taste and good texture without being overly dry. 

Service was good with water refilled, food came out promptly while still feeling prepared to order.  For $3.50 this was one of the better Mexican lunches I have had in a while.  I will definitely head back to El Patron, at least to try the fish tacos lunch.

El Patron also has locations in Chardon and Middlefield, so I will keep an eye out and possibly give them a try.

Mi Pueblo - Authentic Mexican

A friend of mine was back in town visiting and we spent a couple of hours cross country skiing at Chapin Forest in Kirtland (website is here), which is the best place I have found locally with really nice groomed trails, affordable rentals and a great staff. After finishing we felt like Mexican for lunch and neither my friend or I had been to Mi Pueblo in quite a while, so we hopped on the highway and headed to University Circle. The restaurant at 11611 Euclid, Cleveland 44106 (see map here) is the second location of this very authentic Mexican restaurant which started on Lorain Avenue. The University Circle location is a nice converted steakhouse with a narrow bar upfront by the windows and two larger dining areas decorated in very nice Mexican style, resulting in a nice Catina feeling. Although a bit dark, the atmosphere is upbeat without being over the top. My friend mentioned that when he was single and lived in the area, Mi Pueblo was one of his regular date places and I can see where it would be a fun place to hangout and get to know somebody better or just have some big Margaritas. Once seated we were quickly served with chips and two salsas along with the carrots, onions and jalapenos. The green and red salsas were good and very flavorful and a little milder then I remembered, which is good because they used to be pretty hot. The vegetables are one of my favorites, with the carrots picking up enough heat from the jalapeno and getting a little bit of pickling result in a wonderful slightly sweet, a bit hot and crisp combination. Despite the heat, the carrots disappeared quickly leaving only a lethal looking jalapeno. As always, small free food is always appreciated, but it is even better when it tastes this good and it cleans off the taste buds so that everything tastes more vivid. Mi Pueblo is noted for having some of the most authentic Mexican food in this area. At lunch there is a separate menu with some very good deals. My friend had the Pollo en Mole Poblano, the chicken in mole sauce (I did like the suggestion to get pictures of the food, but I missed out since we were hungry) which he said was very good. I had the Shrimp Fajitas, which were good, but not great. I should have known better and gone with the Chile Rellenos, which have usually been among the best in town. While nice, in this case the Fajitas were pan sauteed and therefore missing the wonderful sear you get from the high heat pan. The shrimp were nice, although the bell peppers were cut a bit larger then anything else. As I said, not a bad dish, but not up to what I usually expect from Mi Pueblo. Although the dinner menu has gotten a bit expensive, the lunch menu has some very good buys, especially when you consider the high quality and wonderful tastes. While not everything is spicy, be careful, since when something is spicy it can be very hot. Mi Pueblo is one of the best Mexican Restaurants in Northeast Ohio and it is good to see that they are keeping things going. I will be heading down for lunch again soon. Give them a try.

Caballo Bayo - Chagrin Falls Mexican

UPDATED 6/24/2010 - I was by Caballo Bayo and apparently they are out of business.

With the election finally over, good weather and cheap gas prices, it was hard not to get on the motorcycle at lunch time and just keep going, but instead rode out to Chagrin Falls to try a new Mexican Restaurant, Caballo Bayo. Located at 504 East Washington Street, just past the Chagrin Falls High School, CB looks like a very small place from the front, but appearance are deceiving. Once you get inside there is a large bar to the left and a couple of dining rooms all nicely decorated with sunny yellow walls with Mexican Style paintings and appropriate decorations. The decoration is limited and you don't get the feeling of being overwhelmed as in some Mexican Restaurants. The tables and chairs are nice and substantial, the tables set with cloth napkins and silverware. Of course the chips and salsa quickly arrive. The chips are hot and fresh, the salsa nice if a bit tame, although a little kick does sneak in. My waitress brought me some of the chipolte salsa which had much more of a kick. The menu is extensive and the dinner prices seem a little higher then most Cleveland Mexican Restaurants. At lunch however the specials are very affordable and turned out to be a great value. I ordered the lunch special No. 1 which is described as a Chili Relleno, Taco, Beans and Guacomle Salad. Expecting to get a nice portion, I was shocked when my waitress brought two long plates, one had a good sized Chili Relleno and a large portion of refried beans the other plate had the taco and a large salad of shredded lettuce with a very generous portion of guacamole on top. The waitress caught that I had received the wrong taco and quickly had the kitchen fix the problem - good job. The chili relleno was well prepared and flavorful, in this case the pepper was cooked without any batter, a bit lighter and it allows some of the melted cheese to escape, but very nice. About the only problem I had was that this was a bit mild, but that happens when dealing with fresh peppers, some are hotter then others. The beans were also good with a nice creamy texture and a mild flavor. The guacamole salad was very good, very fresh aith the creamy smoothness of the avacodos contrated with the small bits of vegetables mixed in. The highlight of the meal was the Shrimp Taco; this was excellent. The medium sized shrimp were very well cooked and put into a fresh taco shell with some sauteed pepper and onions and then topped with cheese. Think of this as a mini Shrimp Fajitas. Service was very good, with my water glass refilled several times and an appropriate amount of attention. They seem to be going a little more upscale here without losing a casual feel; this seems to work and I will be checking them out in the future. I left more than full, and that is with leaving half the chip basket uneaten. If the entrees are as good as the food I have this could be a real winner. Head out East and check them out, especially during lunch time.